The Development of Kaji Kito in Nichiren Shu Buddhism Kyomi J. Igarashi Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Prerequisite for Honors in Religion April 2012 Copyright 2012 Kyomi J. Igarashi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank Professor Kodera for his guidance and all that he has taught me throughout my four years at Wellesley College. I could not have written this thesis or taken on this topic of my interest without his encouragement and words of advice. I would like to acknowledge the Religion Department for funding me on my trip to Japan in December 2011 to do research for my thesis. I would also like to thank Reverend Ekyo Tsuchida for his great assistance and dedication during my trip to Japan in finding important information and setting up interviews for me, without which I could not have written this thesis. I am forever grateful for your kindness. I express my gratitude to Reverend Ryotoku Miyagawa, Professor Akira Masaki and Professor Daijo Takamori for kindly offering their expertise and advice as well as relevant sources used in this thesis. I would also like to acknowledge Reverend Honyo Okuno for providing me with important sources as well as giving me the opportunity to observe the special treasures exhibited at the Kuonji Temple in Mount. Minobu. Last but not least, I would like to extend my appreciation to my father, mother and younger brother who have always supported me in all my decisions and endeavors. Thank you for the support that you have given me. ii ABSTRACT While the historical and religious roots of kaji kito (“ritual prayer”) lay in Indian and Chinese Esoteric Buddhist practices, the most direct influence of kaji kito in Nichiren Shu Buddhism, a Japanese Buddhist sect founded by the Buddhist monk, Nichiren (1222-1282), comes from Shingon and Tendai Buddhism, two traditions that precede Nichiren’s time. The historical development and initial incorporation of kaji kito into Nichiren Buddhism suggest that the main objective was to bring happiness to people through the use of prayer. Analysis of kaji kito following the death of Nichiren has shown that although different methods of kaji kito have developed, this notion of bringing happiness has been maintained. Changes made to the kaji kito of Nichiren Buddhism will be explained along with a discussion of the physical practice of kaji kito called aragyo, a 100-day ascetic practice undergone annually in Japan by some Nichiren Shu priests. ! iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Introduction 1 Part One: The Development of Kaji Kito Before Nichiren’s Time Chapter One: The Beginnings of Esoteric Buddhism in India 8 Chapter Two: Introduction and Development of Mikkyo in Japan by Kukai 20 Chapter Three: Development of Mikkyo in Japan by Saicho 27 Chapter Four: Understanding Kaji Kito 31 Part Two: The Development of Kaji Kito During Nichiren’s Time Chapter Five: Understanding Nichiren and His Life 35 Chapter Six: Nichiren’s Views of Mikkyo 50 Chapter Seven: Kaji Kito Performed By Nichiren 68 Part Three: The Development of Kaji Kito After Nichiren’s Death Chapter Eight: History of Kaji Kito in the Nichiren School 79 Chapter Nine: Bokken 94 Chapter Ten: Aragyo 100 Chapter Eleven: Explanation of Important Deities 109 Part Four: Conclusion and the Future of Kaji Kito in Nichiren Buddhism 121 Appendix 130 Works Cited 139 ! ! INTRODUCTION The main objective behind this thesis is to increase awareness of the unknown and often unrecognized importance of kaji kito, generally translated as “ritual prayer”, within Nichiren Shu, a sect of Japanese Buddhism founded during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) by a Buddhist monk by the name of Nichiren (1222-1282). In most western scholarship the term is recognized in correlation with Shugendo, a type of ascetic practice incorporating elements of Buddhism and Shinto, an indigenous practice of worshipping kami (“spiritual deities”). As a result, the majority of the sources and the understanding behind the incorporation of kaji kito within specific traditions of Japanese Buddhism remain only in Japanese, written by Japanese scholars. However, there are limitations to also using Japanese sources due to the hidden nature of the kaji kito practice and training, most of which is verbally transmitted directly from master to disciple. Even with such limitations, the hope is that this thesis will provide a better understanding of the notion of prayer and its often times forgotten significance within Nichiren Shu Buddhism. My motive for choosing this topic comes from my own religious upbringing as a daughter of a Nichiren Shu Buddhist minister. Ever since I was young, I have been provided ample opportunities to observe particular Buddhist traditions both at my temple and within my household. Having my father and mother to teach me about the importance of these traditions and particular practices of laypeople helped me to naturally adapt to these customs that were often not only very Buddhist, but sometimes very Japanese in thought and practice. It was not until I gained more exposure to the religious diversity so prevalent in the United States, that I began to further understand and recognize the uniqueness of my family’s practices and wanted to learn more. However, having been born and raised in the United States, there are certain 1 ! constraints to the level of understanding that I can gain about specific practices that can only be done in Japan. My specific interest in kaji kito comes from my childhood memories of my own father’s participation in aragyo, a type of ascetic training undergone by some priests belonging to the Nichiren Shu sect. I recall my father participating in the practice in occasion of “special” events within the family, such as the birth of my younger brother. The four-month absence of my father was always a very questionable time for me, especially because I wanted to know what my father was doing, but no one could give me the straight answers that I wanted. The only memories that I have include my mother praying for my father’s health because the severity of the ascetic practice has led to hospitalization and deaths of some practitioners. Writing this Honors Thesis has given an opportunity to answer lingering questions I had regarding kaji kito and aragyo as well as the opportunity to understand why undergoing this training was so important for my father and consequentially for my family. The first part of this thesis will begin by explaining the historical and religious roots of kaji kito. While sources indicate that both Shingon and Tendai Buddhism, two Japanese Buddhist traditions that precede Nichiren’s time, directly influenced Nichiren Shu’s kaji kito, we can trace those roots further back to outside of Japan. Therefore, there is a need to understand kaji kito that far precedes its initial incorporation into Nichiren Shu Buddhism or even Japanese Buddhism as a whole, and therefore from its origins in Esoteric Buddhism (Japanese. mikkyo), which began in India and progressed into several of its surrounding countries. The discussion will also entail the development of Esoteric Buddhism in Tibet and China during the time that the prevalence of Buddhism was on the brink of its disappearance as a whole in India. Although the term kaji kito or “ritual prayer” will not be used in this section, the specific characteristics of kaji kito seen 2 ! today, whether it be rituals or doctrines, will become apparent. Upon understanding Esoteric Buddhism in these two countries, we will progress into the historical and religious reasons behind the incorporation of Esoteric Buddhism in specifically Shingon and Tendai Buddhism by looking briefly at the biography of the founders of the traditions: Kukai (774-835), who founded Shingon and Saicho (767-822) who founded the Tendai tradition. At this point, the term “kaji kito” will be introduced, along with the elaborate explanation of the terms “kaji” and “kito” separately along with reasons behind the merging of the terms. “Kaji” will be primarily explained in the context of Japanese Buddhism because Kukai initially introduced and used to the term in Japan in relation to Buddhism. Most traditions of Japanese Buddhism that use kaji kito primarily base their understanding of the origins of the term “kaji kito” in this context. The second section will start by explaining how Nichiren developed his own understanding and interpretation of Buddhism through both a biographical explanation and analysis of Nichiren’s personality. Motives behind his actions are often times misunderstood due to his fiery personality and play a significant role in understanding the uniqueness of the Nichiren tradition of Buddhism. After this, we will analyze Nichiren’s interpretation of mikkyo and the controversy behind his incorporation of mikkyo into his own teachings. Records including a few of Nichiren’s own writings show that he read and studied the teachings of many other Buddhist sects. Analysis of his works helps to specifically explain his interpretations of kaji kito and his reason for incorporating it into his tradition. Here, I emphasize that Nichiren’s main objective of incorporating kaji kito was for the purpose of bringing happiness and peace to the people. Brief discussion of the Lotus Sutra, the main sutra of Nichiren Shu Buddhism, in the context of kaji kito will also provide an understanding as to the origins of what he perceived to be kaji kito and his own practice of it. The section will conclude by noting how methods of kaji 3 ! kito that were developed and practiced during Nichiren’s time remain the same in objective, yet the actual methods of practice have greatly altered through time. As a result, the majority of the third section will focus on kaji kito following Nichiren’s death.